This game didn't really get much publicity to begin with. Well, at least not as much as “Diablo 2” or the “Command and Conquer” series. Playing this game is also quite a fresh new experience. "Giants…" combines the elements of 3D third-person action and a little bit of real-time strategy. Huh? From earlier on, "Giants: Citizen Kabuto" sounded like a strange ambitious experimental game. However, the final product after three years in development is this original, creative, gorgeous, thrilling and funny game. This game is also considered quite “clean”, by action games' standards.

Cheers, mate! The key to "Giants'" originality lies in the gameplay variety. You'll play as three distinct races through about 25 hours of total playtime: the futuristic jetpack adorned Meccs, a beautiful rogue Sea Reaper Delphi, and the game's names, the colossal giant Kabuto himself. The Meccs, Delphi, and Kabuto all offer unique gaming experience. The game includes the classic fast-paced 3D shoot'em up, base building and defending, rescue missions, jet ski races, as well as stomping around and saying "Look! I'm a giant!" And while the three races certainly give you a
lot of variety while playing, it's the distinct gameplay variations that ultimately shine in “Giants”.

The best thing about this game is that you'll probably never get bored doing the same repetitious stuff because before you know it, you'll be off on a different mission. Your goals include saving a group of Smarties (little Smurf-like creatures) dangling from a cliff, destroying your evil Reaper mother's base, and base building. The game is also very easy to learn to play, but as it is unlike any other game, it may take a few extra minutes to get used to.

"Giants: Citizen Kabuto" also is a really funny game loaded with surprises, (a fresh perspective compared to today's more serious games). It is full of hilarious antics, dialogue and
scenes. This isn't surprising as many of it's developers worked on the quirky "MDK". You'll have to play it to understand.

About the graphics? One word: sweet! From the dazzling colors of the ocean and the textures of the mountains, you'd think they're really taken from another planet. Brilliant lighting, nicely rendered animations, and highly realistic models (especially that of the giant Kabuto with its
scars, shadows and bumpy-textured skin). The only drawback from this is that you'll need a really fast processor to play it well. Even in my Pentium III 800Mhz, it does get slowed during some of Kabuto's moves.

As said before, "Giants…" is not only fun, but relatively clean too. The 'bad' areas include the Sea Reaper Delphi--kind of scantily clad (barely noticable). References on magic usage is also implemented by the Sea Reaper (magical fire arrows and fireballs). There are a few “intimate” scenes like kissing, but they are meant for humor and aren't of a sexual nature. The graphic violence is also minimal as the enemies disappear in a glob of slime when destroyed. The language is mild but does include several swear words, often 'bleeped' out (adding to the game humor). I highly recommend "Giants: Citizen Kabuto" to anyone, be it serious gamers or the not-so-serious. It's a fun, hilarious, and highly enjoyable game which beats Counter-Striking, “Red Alert” and “dungeon-crawling” (playing RPG games) anytime.

This is another excellent game that has a few minor bugs however. Some levels at the end tend to crash because the game designers were hurried. But overall there is no objectionable content. One of your characters, Delphi is very scantily clad and you can even make turn naked by altering a file. But that is so minor there is no need to make an uproar about it. The game is very fun to play, but it is also extremely hard!! So if you have some time on your hands I would recommend grabbing this one! My Ratings: [4/4]
—Richard J. Gauldin, age 20

This game is fantastic. Take the scale of Tribes, the style of MDK, and the base building of any RTS, mix them together and this is the result. The reviewer's comments on needing a fast computer were accurate - you'll need a TNT2 or Voodoo3 (or faster) and a CPU of at least 550MHz. Even on my 800 it slows down sometimes. I was a little dissapointed that the developers chose to include swearing in the cut scenes, even though it was beeped out. It didn't add to the humour and I found it unnecessary. This would have to be my only complaint
with the game. My Ratings: [4/5]
—Peter, age 20

Comments from Young People…

Positive—The violence in this game is not very strong. The extent is a little splatter of green blood, and no humans are killed. There is a few mild profanities and some strong language that is bleeped out, but at the end of the game it was the typical good guys beat the bad guys. The Sea Reaper was not clothed very well, but in first person view it doesn't matter. It was a lot of fun and I think other people would find it fun too. It doesn't seem like there is much replay value in there though. My Ratings: [4/4]
—Derek Fernandez, age 16

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.